CHARLESTON – The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History and the West Virginia Commission on the Arts invites artists and arts organizations from around the state to join Governor Jim Justice, First Lady Cathy Justice, Senator Joe Manchin III, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Curator Randall Reid-Smith and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in a Zoom webinar detailing the guidelines and arts-funding programs made possible by the American Recovery Plan (ARP).

The webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 7th at 10 a.m. To join the webinar, use the following link: bit.ly/NEAandARPwebinar.

The NEA has released guidelines and application materials for two programs to distribute ARP funds. These programs are open to nonprofit arts and culture organizations and local arts agencies, regardless of whether they have received NEA funding in the past. This is a change from previous emergency funding requirements at the NEA and significantly expands access to federal funds for the arts and culture sector. The NEA encourages applications from first-time applicants, and will offer workshops, question-and-answer sessions, and other resources for those new to federal funding. First-time and returning applicants may find resources such as guidelines and application materials at www.arts.gov.

For more information about the ARP funding webinar, contact Lance Schrader, director of arts at (304) 558-0240 or Lance.E.Schrader@wv.gov.